


Sharing Crowns

by dreamji



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor, Childhood Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Fairy Tale Elements, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Minor Violence, Mutual Pining, Seungmin is oblivious, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, hyung line are tired, idk what im doing, oh loona are there too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 08:36:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23008708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamji/pseuds/dreamji
Summary: Hwang Hyunjin and Kim Seungmin are royalty, born as the only male heirs to their respective kingdoms.They’ve spent their childhoods together, short summers exploring the dense forest behind the castle, long winters curled up studying by the library fireplace. But somewhere along the way, something changes.They’re close in a different way now, something between friends and more. This is tested when Hyunjin shows up at Seungmin’s door, soaked in rain, eyes red and swollen with tears.He's engaged.[INDEFINITE HIATUS]
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin
Comments: 10
Kudos: 53





	Sharing Crowns

**Author's Note:**

> this has been in my drafts for a YEAR now so, at this point, i'm just going to post it and hope that that's enough motivation for me to continue it ..
> 
> i'm new to writing as a whole so please forgive any mistakes and point them out (respectfully!!) in the comments! any and all suggestions will be taken into account ;) and comments and kudos are appreciated! 
> 
> without further ado, enjoy!

Seungmin stands, five years old, uncomfortable in his dark-blue velvet jacket. Bright lights and colors blur together, a cacophony that crowds at the edge of his vision. Suddenly he feels gentle pressure on his shoulders. He looks up, meeting eyes with his mother. His father smiles at Seungmin from behind her, tender and reassuring. 

Seungmin misses the days when his father looked at him like that. Like he was something to be proud of. 

“Come along Seungmin, we have to greet the guests. The king and queen of the Northwest Kingdom have arrived.” 

Seungmin tilts his head, an inquisitive child even from a young age. 

“The Northwest Kingdom?” 

“You’ll see. Now, we don’t want to keep them waiting, do we?”

As they descend the central staircase, Seungmin feels the all too familiar cling of multiple gazes on him, keeping his eyes down as to not make eye contact with any of them. It’s a price that comes with being royalty, he supposes, although that fact doesn't do anything to soothe the anxiety that comes with the attention.

He almost stumbles when they reach the final step, but his father takes him firmly by the hand and yanks him up. Seungmin glances up at the king's face. His easy smile has turned into a rigid line. Seungmin winces, tears welling up in his eyes. He hates making people mad, especially his father. Not to mention that the tight grip on his wrist was beginning to hurt. 

"Goodness, you've grown so much since the last time I saw you!" A cheerful voice booms. Seungmin looks up at the man who had spoken, flanked by guards dressed similarly to him, in a bright, pomegranate red. His wife is by his side and a boy that looks to be about Seungmin's age is trailing along behind them, eyes fixed on the grand entryway and the large chandeliers. He looks vaguely familiar, and in the back of his mind, Seungmin realizes the man must have been at their last ball two years ago.

He stutters out a response, dipping into a polite bow. 

"Ah, I see you're raising him prim and proper. I wouldn't expect any less from the Southern Kingdom." The man comments mirthfully. 

Seungmin blushes and looks away. 

"Don't mind Seungmin, he's just a little shy." Seungmin's mother laughs.

Hyunjin's mother smiles back at her. "So he's the opposite of my son."

As their parents converse amicably, Seungmin peeks out from behind his mother, casting a wide-eyed glance at boy his age. Before he can even blink, he's in front of him, ducking into a quick bow and flashing Seungmin a smile, eyes wide and curious.

"My name is Hyunjin. Who are you?"

**+**

They're ten and eleven, running through the long, high-ceilinged halls of the castle. They pause at the large ornate window looking into the West Garden, filled with tall hedges and apple trees. As they bend over to catch their breath, Hyunjin glances up at Seungmin, beaming with mischief. 

Although they're from different kingdoms, they have grown close over the years, and they often beg their parents to let them see each other. Playdates are difficult when you live in different kingdoms, but they manage just fine.

Hyunjin likes to run his fingers through Seungmin’s hair. He throws a long arm around his shoulders and pushes a hand into his curls, laughing as Seungmin shivers and whines in annoyance.

They get older, more mature, and he still loves Seungmin’s hair. But instead of humor, his face is dark with something serious as he brushes a lock of soft, coffee-colored hair behind Seungmin’s ear. 

For now, they're still young and filled with life and joy. Their eyes meet and they kneel over again, chests now heaving with laughter instead of exhaustion. Seungmin wishes they could stay like this, wasting the days away, filling up the dark halls of the castle with Hyunjin's bright laugh instead of stifling silence. 

He decides to savor the moment before he is left mourning the days long gone, anticipating the next time he gets to see his best friend, longing for the empty cavern in his heart to be filled.

  
  


**+**

These days, Seungmin spends most of his time reading, studying, and practicing his sword fighting. With some encouragement from his father, he had taken up the hobby the year prior. His parents were proud, of course, and that made Seungmin happy. So that was enough. But instead of the same daily routine he usually stuck to, today he had a special excursion planned.

Hyunjin was visiting, and Seungmin wanted to do something fun for both of them. He could almost picture Hyunjin’s face as he protested.

“For me? You know I'm perfectly fine watching you- I mean- studying in the library with you.” 

But it had been a while since he had visited, and he was sure their parents would be busy arranging trade and drinking expensive exotic alcohol to notice their children gone from the castle. So, Seungmin packed a picnic basket; filled it with their favorite food and waited for Hyunjin to arrive. They meet at the entry hall and he bows politely to their parents before grabbing his friend's hand, dashing off to the kitchen to retrieve the basket.

“Where are we going?” 

“You'll see,” he responds, butterflies waltzing in his stomach. Why was he so nervous?

He takes him to the hilly area south of the castle, through a thin strip of trees, climbing to the top of the biggest hill. When they reach the top, he sets the basket down (it is quite heavy, after all) and takes a deep breath for what feels like the first time in forever. The air up here feels lighter, fragrant and clean. He turns to Hyunjin with a smile. 

“So, what do you think?” 

Hyunjin grins back, looking equally relaxed. 

“It's amazing. It's exactly what I need to get my mind off- uh, it's exactly what I need right now, is what I meant. ” 

Seungmin wants to press the subject, and he almost does, but then Hyunjin is pulling his sword out of his sheath and raising an eyebrow at him.

“How do you feel about a duel? I've heard you're getting good.” 

“Oh, you're on.” 

And then he's turning and running up the hill, unsheathing his sword as he goes, turning around just in time to block a wide swing from Hyunjin. Their blades make a sharp _"clang"_ sound as they meet, reminding Seungmin of the countless hours he had spent training. 

He grits his teeth and readjusts his grip. He parries another blow and steps forward, slashing down then bringing his blade back around. Before Hyunjin can blink, Seungmin is smirking at him, flicking the tip of his blade upwards and taking the top three buttons off of his shirt. Not one to be easily deterred, Hyunjin just narrows his eyes and nods slightly. 

“Not bad.”

“Not bad? If this was a real fight you'd be dead.” 

“I was just going easy on you.” 

“Don't.”

And the fight is on. Hyunjin is light on his feet, elegant as he darts forward, managing to cut the top two buttons off Seungmin’s light summer jacket. Fortunately, Seungmin is fast too, bringing his sword up to knock Hyunjin's away. He balances himself, half on his toes, bringing the blade up to swing. Just like his teacher, Sir Yoon had shown him. 

_“Tsk tsk, my prince, you can do better than that.”_

_Seungmin winces and gasps as the blunt sword Sir Yoon is holding slams into his side, pain flaring from his already bruised ribs._

_“Balance, balance, balance”_

_Tapping on his chest with the dull tip as he enunciates each syllable._

_“It's all about_ **_balance_ ** _.”_

_Seungmin tries to block weakly, but he's too slow. Sir Yoon's sword knocks his legs out from under him and he lands on his back, the wind knocked out of him._

_His teacher stands over him, prodding at him with the heavy steel._

_“The most important thing, my prince, is to know exactly what your enemies' weaknesses are. And once you do, don't hesitate to exploit them.”_

_“Because these are times when we cannot afford to simply win, we must_ **destroy**. Do you understand?”

_Seungmin’s response is weak, black spots clouding the edges of his vision._

_“I-I understand, s-sir.”_

_“Good.”_

Hyunjin knocks Seungmin’s sword out of his hand, triumphantly bringing it around so that the flat of it is resting against Seungmin’s neck.

“I win.”

Seungmin manages to respond, although his voice is small and stuck in the back of his throat.

“Only because I was distracted. You’re so bad at this I got bored and zoned out.”

Hyunjin realizes Seungmin is shaking.

“I'm sorry.”

“Yeah, you should be. Next time try to be more entertaining.” 

Seungmin cracks a smile at him, but they both know that isn't what he's apologizing for.

When they're almost done eating they rest in the shade under the trees on the hill. 

Hyunjin turns to him. “Do you enjoy sword fighting?”

“What do you mean?” Seungmin’s tone rises, becoming defensive.

“You know what I mean.”

“No, I don't.” his voice is cold.

He turns his face away, tears pricking at his eyes for some odd reason.

Hyunjin takes a deep breath. 

“I'm just saying, don't feel obligated to do anything for anyone else but yourself.”

Seungmin opens his mouth to object, to tell him he's wrong, to tell him to mind his own business, but before he can, Hyunjin starts again.

“My parents, they want me to be a diplomat. I've been taking classes. I know it isn't what I want to do, but I don't want to go against their wishes.”

He continues. “I shouldn't have assumed you felt the same. I overstepped and I'm sorry. I just wish- I mean I know it sounds shallow, but I wish I didn't have my whole life planned out for me like this. Served to me on a silver platter.”

“At least my parents are proud of me,” he says with a bitter laugh

The words resonate in the space between them. Seungmin just shakes his head and turns to face him, regret clear on his features.

“No, _I_ overreacted. I guess I just didn't want to realize it, but I feel the same way.” 

Hyunjin just shrugs, handing Seungmin a red apple from the basket. 

“Enough of that, let's just enjoy this while we can, okay?” 

Seungmin regards the apple for a short moment, then nods and takes it, biting into the polished red surface. 

Together they sit, watching the setting sun. 

“It makes you feel so small, huh?” Hyunjin says drowsily, running a hand through his hair.

“What?” 

“We're just specks of dust in this world really, like individual stars in the sky. There's nothing permanent except impermanence and all that.”

“Woah there, don't get all existential on me. I thought you said enough of the deep stuff.” 

“I'm sorry.”

“You've said that too many times today.” 

Seungmin turns his gaze away from the sky, focusing instead on Hyunjin's face. 

He can't help admiring the sharp line of Hyunjin's nose as he tilts his head back, can't stop his heart from knowing that the light of the setting sun casting shadows on his cheeks is more beautiful than any sunset he'll ever see.

**+**

It's a scorching summer day, one of the hottest the Southern Kingdom has ever had.

In the castle cradled by the rolling hills, the two princes are equally affected by the heat. They’re sprawled on Seungmin’s bed, sweaty and sticky, having halted waiting for a cool breeze that never comes, opting to try and spend as little energy as possible instead.

Hyunjin throws a hand over Seungmin and he whines. "You're practically a human furnace, Jin, don't make it worse for the both of us."

Hyunjin ignores him, choosing to flatten a gentle hand on top of Seungmin's stomach instead. Seungmin lets him trail his fingers across his abdomen, breath coming shorter as he traces circles into the exposed skin of his midriff. 

Despite the heat, Seungmin feels himself shivering.

Hyunjin lets his fingernails scrape slowly against Seungmin’s skin, watching with rapture as his facial expression changes, mouth dropping open in a soundless gasp then pinching up with something sinful. His loud laugh snaps them both out of it, although there’s something dark and heavy (although not exactly bad) that lingers in the room long after.

Days later, when the night is in its richest form, Hyunjin finds himself on his balcony. He can't help but remember the feeling of Seungmin’s silky skin beneath his fingers, the way sweat dampened his curly hair, the way his tongue darted out to moisten plushy rose-colored lips. 

He can't stop replaying those little moments over and over in his head, entangled by something inevitable that he can't exactly define.

Maybe he won’t admit it just yet, but gods, he wants to do nothing more than kiss Seungmin senseless, breathless, until they both see stars; until he feels...

_Unstoppable_.

But like cosmic events in the infinitely-moving universe, time goes on, suns go silent; and Hyunjin turns and walks away from the vast midnight sky.

+

Seungmin is in his room; it's raining, one of those heavy, dreary days where you can't tell if a minute has passed by slowly or an hour quickly. 

He turns his old sword over in his hands, runs a finger up the worn blade. There's a small chip from the last time he used it. After much thinking, Seungmin had decided to tell his parents he'd much rather focus on his studies as opposed to sword fighting. They were disappointed, but at least they had tried to hide it. 

Seungmin sets it down gently, reaching for a thick, worn book, page corners softened from use. Hyunjin had got him this book as a birthday present. It was about the stars and the universe, but it wasn't just a normal book. Hyunjin had scribbled his thoughts in between the lines, circling random things and commenting on others, leaving little notes and doodles. It was like he had given Seungmin a piece of his soul, and he treasured it dearly.

He tucks it back in between his other books and reaches for another object. 

+

Hyunjin could feel himself falling apart, his composure finally cracking under all the pressure. All those years, building his walls higher and higher, only for it all to be shattered in one awful day. 

He thought he'd have time. He thought he had more time left. But he was sorely mistaken. _Gods, he was so stupid._ Thinking he could ever be _more_. Thinking that he could be free. Now he was running again. Fleeing from his parents, his kingdom. The only thing grounding him was the steady rhythm of his horse's hooves digging into the dirt.

What was he even doing? Where was he going? 

He rounded a bend in the trail, branches scratching at his face and snagging on his drenched clothes. The blood from his wounds mixed with the rain, and the rain with his tears. He knew where he was going now, he'd know the way even with his eyes closed. 

**_Seungmin_**.

Hyunjin choked on a sob, trying in vain to stifle the noises that fell from his mouth by biting down harshly on his bottom lip. 

Kim Seungmin, his universe. What would become of them both?

He wanted to tell him so so badly... But no. He couldn't. Because you can't be completely, utterly in love with your best friend. Especially when they don't love you back. Especially not when you already have a fiance. 

His vision grew blurry, but he shook the tears from his eyes and advanced towards the castle.

**Author's Note:**

> this is kind of messy but i promise i'll try to make it better! thank you so much for reading :D


End file.
